"In April 1990 Juan Diego was declared Blessed by the Vatican. The following month, during his second visit to the Basilica of Guadalupe, John Paul II performed the beatification ceremony. And finally in July 2002 Juan Diego was canonized, during a ceremony celebrated also by John Paul II, in the Basilica of Guadalupe.
"This event flared up a debate, which had been off and on since the 18th century about the historical authenticity of Juan Diego. Critics have argued that the Spanish Franciscans in Mexico make no mention of him or the alleged apparitions of Our Lady prior to 1648, raising questions as to why they would be silent about such an important event.
"The Vatican subsequently established a commission of 30 researchers from various countries to investigate the question. The results of their research were presented to the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints on Oct. 28, 1998 and according to the commission it successfully proved that Juan Diego had indeed existed. Among the research documents submitted were 27 Indian documents regarding Guadalupe, which among other things contained the alleged death certificate of Juan Diego. Regarding the lack of historic evidence for nearly 20-years following the Guadalupe events, the researchers claimed that many Indian documents from that era were destroyed, in part due to a paper shortage, or lost in the great Mexico City fire of 1692.
"This evidence has however been questioned by other historians and a polemical spirit tends to prevail over documentary research regarding Juan Diego and the Guadalupe events."